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Is the chaos in Venezuela “a picture of what might happen’ elsewhere, including the U.S.?

Last month, the U.S. issued sanctions against eight members of Venezuela’s Supreme Court, a move intended to pressure the court to stop its efforts to obstruct the government’s legislature. The sanctions are only the latest in a chain of events in a country that’s in turmoil.

“Venezuela is spiraling into chaos,” according to José Buscaglia, professor and chair of the Department of Cultures, Societies, and Global Studies at Northeastern. Indeed, despite having the world’s largest oil reserves, Venezuela’s economy is only limping along, suffering from a deep recession and hyper-inflation. Food and medicine shortages are creating a humanitarian emergency. Late President Hugo Chávez created a “democratic dictatorship,” Buscaglia said, then handed the reigns over to current President Nicolás Maduro, an “incompetent” leader.

An expert in Central American studies, Buscaglia’s view of the future for Venezuela is grim.

“Overall, things are going to get much worse before they get better,” he said—a prospect that could spell chaos for other countries, including the U.S.